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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28265283">We All Begin As Strangers</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niphredilien/pseuds/Niphredilien'>Niphredilien</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Silver Twins, Red Lovers [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Also Caranthir Being Terrible Around Kids, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, And I Can No Longer Find It, Beta'd, But he's trying, Campsites, Caranthir Being Vaguely Cryptic, Forests, Gen, Grieving, It Was Really Short, Sewing, Snow, This Was Born From This One Post On Tumblr I Saw Ages Ago, being orphaned</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:47:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,716</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28265283</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niphredilien/pseuds/Niphredilien</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p><i>He felt Eluréd shift closer to him as the ellon retreated. “Who are you?” He asked boldly.<br/>The pair shared a small look. “I am Amosgarn.” The elleth said and smiled brightly. “And this is my husband Caranthir. We’re Silvan elves of the Greenwood in the East.”<br/>Eluréd narrowed his eyes. “How can we trust you?”<br/>“You can’t.” Caranthir’s eyes were mournful as he spoke. “But I swear we shan’t hurt you.”</i> </p><hr/><p>Elurín and Eluréd were chased from their home by monsters who killed their family and destroyed their home. They were found in the woods by a pair of Silvan Elves, who took it upon themselves to take care of them.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Caranthir | Morifinwë &amp; Elurín, Caranthir | Morifinwë/Caranthir's Wife, Caranthir's Wife &amp; Elurín, Eluréd &amp; Elurín (Tolkien)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Silver Twins, Red Lovers [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2078715</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>We All Begin As Strangers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24175474">Don't Forget Your Roots</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_have_a_Mycroft_of_my_very_own/pseuds/I_have_a_Mycroft_of_my_very_own">I_have_a_Mycroft_of_my_very_own</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello all!<br/>OK, new series! I have big plans but my brain may go <i>bleugh</i> in a week or two and there will only be like...two stories...so I apologise in advance for that.<br/>This is quite a bit inspired by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_have_a_Mycroft_of_my_very_own/pseuds/I_have_a_Mycroft_of_my_very_own">I_have_a_Mycroft_of_my_very_own</a>'s <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/series/1746481">Half-elven Bard</a> series, which I love and will come back to a lot. I wanted to write a story to sort of explain how Elurín and Eluréd found themselves so far East without being found by people wanting them to rule the Sindar but that is also quite a bit set within my own, very loose interpretation of Canon. So...now there's this.<br/>(I'll change the series name when I get a better idea than I have already).<br/>A big Thank You to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/oliviacat3/pseuds/oliviacat3">oliviacat3</a> for Beta reading my work.<br/>And I hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was cold, the sort of cold that crept into Elurín’s very soul.</p><p>Eluréd had fallen asleep on his shoulder, certain they were safe, protected from the outside by the roots of the tree they were hiding beneath. Elurín was far less sure on the matter and despite Eluréd’s tired attempts to convince him to get some rest, he had been unable to close his eyes and sleep.</p><p>He didn’t know how Eluréd could be so calm. Every time that Elurín closed his eyes he could see the red and gold of the monsters. He could see them slit the throat of Baranass and there had been blood, <em>so much blood</em> –</p><p>And he tried to stop the cut with his cloak, just like everyone did to cuts he got, and it might have worked if the men hadn’t picked him up and pulled him away.</p><p>He could still see the blood on his hands if he focussed his eyes in the dark.</p><p>He wished he hadn’t made his cloak dirty. Then the monsters might not have taken it away and he wouldn’t have had to share with Eluréd to keep warm.</p><p>Elurín loved his brother but sometimes Eluréd took it upon himself to protect his brother even though they were the same age.</p><p>The tree creaked above them and its roots opened slightly to reveal the early morning sun shining through the trees and reflecting almost blindingly off the newly fallen snow.</p><p>Elurín shrunk back, surreptitiously shaking his brother awake. The tree projected something that Elurín supposed was good-natured laughter and feelings of <em>safety-security-assurance</em> but it did little to quell the fear that was brought about by the silhouetted face peering through the chink in the twins’ previously impenetrable armour.</p><p>“Hello there,” The ellon said softly. “What are you doing out here by yourselves?”</p><p><em>He could be a monster</em>. Eluréd whispered softly into his twins mind, taking his brother’s hand and squeezing tightly.</p><p><em>Or he could not</em>. Elurín replied. <em>There are many people in Doriath</em>.</p><p>“Gailant?” A voice called out softly and another silhouette appeared beside the first. “Oh hello.”</p><p><em>If we go with them and they are monsters</em>-</p><p>
  <em>They might keep us alive. If we stay here, we’ll freeze or starve or get eaten or-</em>
</p><p>Eluréd squeezed his brother’s hand slightly harder, cutting off his anxiety before it goes too far. <em>I suppose the tree trusts them</em>.</p><p><em>I suppose so</em>…</p><p>“Do you want to tell us who you are?” The second silhouette asked.</p><p>Eluréd nodded, not betraying the fear they were both feeling at that moment. After a short pause, Elurín did the same.</p><p>“I’m Eluréd and this is my brother Elurín,” Eluréd declared, sitting up a little straighter, the cloak they were sharing falling further onto Elurín.</p><p>“Ah,” One of the silhouettes said and there was a minute hesitation before, “Would you like to join us out here?”</p><p>Elurín would honestly like to say that <em>no, he would not like that</em>, but he knew that they couldn’t stay here forever and the pair of elves don’t <em>appear</em> to be monsters. And anyway – Eluréd had already stepped forward by the time he had finished thinking and, like always, he followed.</p><p>With the sun no longer hiding their features, Elurín could get a proper look at their…rescuers?</p><p>The first one – the ellon – had reddish brown hair chopped in a mannish fashion to his chin, and he examined them with a thoughtful frown on a face nipped with cold to the point his freckled nose and cheeks were a bright red. He was dressed in fairly plain clothes, apart from the purple scarf draped over the brown and greys of his clothes and leather armour and a pair of black vambraces, a matching sword on his hip.</p><p>The elleth accompanying him had slightly darker skin and her pitch black hair was even shorter than her companions, barely curling past the bottom of her pierced ears. Black tattoos decorated her bare arms, her freckled cheeks, her ankles and lower legs – in fact, most of her exposed skin was somehow painted in ink. Elurín had only seen it on the warriors that guarded…<em>had</em> guarded them.</p><p>He shivered slightly, resisting the urge to glare at his brother for taking the cloak when he had stepped into the snow. It <em>was</em> his after all. But the elleth in front of them had far too little on for midwinter and it was cold just looking at her.</p><p>“You’re not really dressed for this weather, are you?” The ellon observed, kneeling beside Elurín in the snow and pulling off his own cloak to wrap around the elfling.</p><p>Elurín shook his head mutely even as he thought that they were worse dressed.</p><p>He felt Eluréd shift closer to him as the ellon retreated. “Who are you?” He asked boldly.</p><p>The pair shared a small look. “I am Amosgarn,” The elleth said and smiled brightly. “And this is my husband Caranthir. We’re Silvan elves of the Greenwood in the East.”</p><p>Eluréd narrowed his eyes. “How can we trust you?”</p><p>“You can’t.” Caranthir’s eyes were mournful as he spoke. “But I swear we shan’t hurt you.”</p><p>Elurín could feel the gravity in the ellon’s words even as his twin continued to glare suspiciously in his direction.</p><p>“OK,” He said softly. “We’ll come with you.”</p><p>“Elurín!” Eluréd exclaimed, so surprised he didn’t even use their bond. Elurín gave him a small smile.</p><p>“Trust me.”</p><hr/><p>The walk to the camp was long and the sun was almost at its peak in the sky by the time they reached it. Eluréd refused to talk, stubbornly staying behind the group, and Caranthir took the lead, an air of grief around him that felt almost fragile.</p><p>Elurín walked beside Amosgarn, companionably silent, except for the few times she would comment on a tree or a bird call, occasionally calling back.</p><p>Despite his determination to despise his rescuers, Eluréd perked up each time she did this and would likely have asked questions if not for his own stubborn nature.</p><p>And so passed their journey. Elurín was actually, dare he say it, enjoying himself, and it was a welcome distraction from his thoughts and contemplating the monsters and Nana and Ada. When they stopped, he was somewhat disappointed, having entirely forgotten the purpose of their walk. Whether he had been looking or not, he doubted that anyone would have been able to guess that the glade was being used as a camp.</p><p>Elurín had been expecting other people, or at least some indication of habitation but it was entirely empty and it was only when Amosgarn set a gentle hand on the trunk of one of the trees and they opened their roots to reveal a small cavern with bags and materials within that anything was revealed.</p><p>She bent down to dig through the pile of things, standing up with a large pile of sticks and logs in her arms. Caranthir had cleared an area of snow and she set the wood in a pile there, lighting it with a flint from a pouch hanging from the belt around her waist.</p><p>Soon a roaring fire was going and the rest of the clearing was empty of snow.</p><p>Elurín and Eluréd drifted closer together as they watched the pair of them work methodically around the area, setting out blankets and bedrolls until it had an almost cosy atmosphere.</p><p>“Here!” Amosgarn offered cheerily, patting a particularly brightly coloured blanket by her side, taking their cloaks and wrapping more blankets around their shoulders when they gingerly sat down. They were sat so their backs were to the large roots of the tree that still held all of the bags and they faced the flickering fire, bringing a semblance of warmth back to Elurín.</p><p>“Would you like to tell us how you got here?” Amosgarn asked as her husband took the cloak he had given Elurín earlier and began to examine it carefully, appearing not to be listening. “Because then we can decide what to do next.”</p><p>“We were in Doriath,” Eluréd began, carefully picking his words, “And Ada and Nana sent us to the nursery because there were monsters near.”</p><p>Elurín nodded in agreement. “It was just us and Baranass,” He added softly, leaning slightly into his brother.</p><p>“The monsters found us. They were looking for a Silmalil – I think they meant Ada’s necklace. Baranass tried to make them go away but they-” Eluréd stopped suddenly in the middle of his sentence and Elurín could hear Nana chiding him for not finishing a thought.</p><p>“I…I tried to stop the blood,” Elurín said, taking over from his brother. “But the monsters pulled me away. They didn’t do anything to us until someone said something about a Celegorm and they took us to the woods. They said something about killing us, but they were arguing so much we could escape and the trees hid us until we couldn’t hear them anymore. And then you found us.” He thought of something suddenly. “Can you bring us back? Nana and Ada will be worried.”</p><p>Amosgarn gave him a terribly mournful look. “I’m really sorry,” She said quietly. “Your Nana and Ada didn’t make it. The monsters got them like they got Baranass.”</p><p>Elurín had thought that this might have been the case but it didn’t stop his stomach falling away.</p><p>“No!” Eluréd exclaimed, jumping to his feet. “You’re lying! They can’t…they can’t be dead.” There was a pleading note in his brothers voice.</p><p>Elurín let his eyes drift down to his hands, folded in his lap. They were white and still cold despite the cheerfully crackling fire.</p><p>Eluréd and Amosgarn were talking – or shouting, it was unclear – but Elurín had tuned out.</p><p>Ada and Nana weren’t here anymore. There was no-one to go back to. The monsters must have gotten Elwing as well, if they’d got Ada and Nana. Elwing was only little and wouldn’t have been able to fight them off and her legs weren’t long enough to run away from them like they had.</p><p>She might have escaped if…</p><p><em>No</em>. He told himself firmly. <em>Don’t get your hopes up</em>.</p><p>“Would you like to talk about it?”</p><p>Elurín looked up sharply. Caranthir sat closer than he had before, his frown a little softer than before and the cloak draped over his lap, the needle glinting in the sunlight on top of the purple fabric.</p><p>“Where’s Eluréd?” He asked when he couldn’t see his brother anywhere.</p><p>“He ran off. Don’t worry, Amosgarn will find him.” Caranthir bit his lip. “Do you want to talk?”</p><p>Elurín shrugged. “Not much to talk about.”</p><p>“You’re sad.”</p><p>“Yes. This morning I had a little sister and a mother and a father and now they’re all dead!” Elurín was shaking again. “They’re all dead and gone and I’ll never see them again and it’s only me and Eluréd and we don’t have anywhere to go and-” He was cut off by a sob escaping his throat and he curled up on himself as tears began pouring in rivers down his cheeks.</p><p>A gentle arm wrapped it’s way around his shoulders and someone – Caranthir, Elurín supposed, slightly deliriously – began stroking his hair and singing softly in a language that Elurín couldn’t quite pin point.</p><p>The melody was lilting and soft and strange sung in Caranthir’s odd accent and rough voice. It was oddly comforting and despite the grief suddenly weighing him down, Elurín could feel his sobbing subsiding even though the hole in his chest – which he’d been ignoring and that had been slowly growing over the past day – stayed as large as ever.</p><hr/><p>He must have fallen asleep like that on Caranthir.</p><p>The next thing he remembered was opening his eyes as his stomach cramped with hunger.</p><p>Eluréd had curled around his back sometime earlier and the fire had died down somewhat while they had slept. Through the crackling flames he could see Caranthir and Amosgarn deep in conversation but as it was in the same language Caranthir had been talking in last night and he couldn’t understand them.</p><p>He was actually far more interested in the utterly delicious smell coming from the pot above the fire.</p><p>He shifted slightly, his arm numb where it awkwardly lay trapped beneath himself and the conversation cut off very suddenly.</p><p>“Elurín?” Amosgarn asked quietly. “Are you awake?”</p><p>Elurín pushed himself upright in answer, carefully avoiding disturbing his twin lying beside him. It had got dark while he had been sleeping.</p><p>Amosgarn smiled. “Would you like some food? We’ve all eaten but I kept some stew over the fire to keep it warm.”</p><p>His stomach rumbled again and he nodded quickly, gladly taking the small wooden bowl and shovelled it down, shivering slightly as the heat seeped into him.</p><p>The couple went back to talking in the strange language as he ate ravenously and once he was finished, curiosity got the better of him.</p><p>“What’re you talking in?”</p><p>They broke off and Amosgarn gave him a brilliant smile. “It’s Silvan. Well, it’s the Silvan dialect of the Laegeldrim. The Silvan dialect of the Greenwood is somewhat different and I’m sure it will have changed a bit since I was last there.”</p><p>Elurín bit his lip. “Can you…can you teach me?”</p><p>Amosgarn’s eyes lit up. “I would love to! I’ll teach Eluréd as well and we can make a time of it!”</p><p>Caranthir snorted besides her. “Don’t ask her too many questions.” He warned. “She can talk about languages and their development for <em>years</em> if you let her.”</p><p>“Like you couldn’t do the same with economic structures or sewing techniques if I let you.”</p><p>“Yes, but I don’t.”</p><p>“You sew?” Elurín asked incredulously, cutting off their argument before it began. Nana always said – always <em>had</em> said – that that was what you should do if it looked like two people were going to disagree on a matter. “Ada says – said – sewing was a thing elleth did.”</p><p>Caranthir looked outraged at this statement and opened his mouth angrily. Elurín shrunk back slightly as the ellon looked quite terrifying. Amosgarn placed a gentle hand on his arm and he deflated.</p><p>“It’s not quite the same with Silvan elves,” She explained. “It doesn’t matter what your gender, you can do whatever you please, so long as you can actually do it.”</p><p>Elurín nodded and would have asked more questions if not for the horrible sick feeling in his stomach that had come about as a result of causing Caranthir anger and for the fact that that self-same ellon was glowering at the fire place.</p><p>“I think I’ll go back to sleep now.” He mumbled.</p><p>“Of course. We’ll wake you at first light,” Amosgarn said with a small smile.</p><p>Elurín turned around and lay back down beside his brother, curling up tightly in a ball and facing away from the fire. He squeezed his eyes shut but come morning, he found he had fallen asleep.</p><hr/><p>Caranthir and Amosgarn packed up the camp next morning before they woke Eluréd up.</p><p>Elurín took one of the small bags Caranthir passed him with no complaint, ate the slied apple Amosgarn gave him quietly and stood still as both of them buried the glade with snow again and kicked away the remains of their fire.</p><p>
  <em>Amosgarn is very nice. She knows a lot about the forest.</em>
</p><p>Elurín bit his lips. <em>I think Caranthir is too.</em></p><p>“So,” Amosgarn began, turning to both him and Eluréd, “Now we need to decide where we go.”</p><p>“Where are <em>you</em> going?” Eluréd asked.</p><p>“The Greenwood. There is nothing left here for us.” Amosgarn smiled. “But we don’t have anything to do – we can take you wherever.”</p><p><em>Is there anything left here for </em>us<em>?</em> Eluréd asked his brother. <em>We could ask to go with them.</em></p><p>
  <em>Isn’t that a bit prezumptious?</em>
</p><p>Eluréd sent him the mental equivalent of a shrug. <em>Who else do we have? Uncle Celeborn? We’ve never met him or his wife, wherever they are. Cousin Oropher or Cousin Amdir?</em></p><p>
  <em>Ivannt?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She disappeared. We don’t know where she is.</em>
</p><p>Elurín pursed his lips. <em>I suppose they’re our best bet</em>.</p><p>“Could we come with you?” Eluréd asked aloud to the waiting couple.</p><p>Amosgarn smiled brighter than Elurín had yet seen her smile. “Of course. We would love to have you.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Non-Canon Names:<br/>Amosgarn - Robin Red-Breast (Sindarin)<br/>Baranass - Golden Brown Point (Sindarin)<br/>Ivannt - Gift of Yavanna (Sindarin)</p><p>Sindarin Translations:<br/>Ellon - Male Elf<br/>Elleth - Female Elf<br/>Nana - Mother (Informal)<br/>Ada - Father (Informal)<br/>Laegeldrim - Green Elves</p></blockquote></div></div>
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